Chapter 89: The Advantage of the Air Force
After a chaotic battle, Amin was the first to falter. Nick's electromagnetic rifle hit him squarely, sending his body flying.
Fortunately, Amin's body had been enhanced by Apocalypse, or else he would have been shattered entirely rather than just knocked back.
Even so, the electric energy that had once crackled across his body dissipated, and he collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood.
Seeing this, Barton turned his attention toward Amin, aiming his weapon directly at him.
"Master, help me," Amin pleaded, extending his hand toward Apocalypse, begging his god for salvation.
Apocalypse merely cast him a cold, dismissive glance before looking away.
"Useless. How could I keep someone like you by my side?"
*Whoosh!*
In the next instant, Barton's arrow pierced Eamon's body.
A soft explosion followed, and with it, the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse became three.
Psylocke, witnessing Amin's death and Apocalypse's indifference, felt a flicker of disappointment cross her eyes.
She had already been uneasy with Apocalypse's ruthless ways, and this incident solidified her resolve to leave him eventually. But now was not the time.
On the other hand, Worthington seemed unaffected, too preoccupied with dodging attacks and launching his own to pay any attention to Amin's demise.
"Lorna, one of your people just died. Are you alright with that?" Erik asked.
Lorna merely shook her head indifferently. "Amin was no good anyway. Let him die."
Erik nodded in agreement.
With Amin's death, Psylocke and Worthington suddenly found themselves under immense pressure, forced into defensive stances, unable to retaliate.
The battle gradually shifted, bringing everyone closer to the base of Apocalypse's throne.
Seeing the opportunity, Natasha raised her electromagnetic gun and fired several shots at Apocalypse. Yet as the bullets approached, they turned to dust, vanishing without a trace.
"Pathetic fools. Step aside."
Finally, Apocalypse grew weary of watching, and he rose from his throne.
Upon hearing this, Psylocke and Worthington began retreating, showing no intention of continuing the fight.
Apocalypse looked down at Lorna, his tone cold. "Are you planning to betray me?"
Lorna immediately shook her head. "I never pledged loyalty to you. How could I betray you?"
Erik positioned himself protectively in front of his daughter, closely watching Apocalypse's every move, fearing he might harm her.
Having received this answer, Apocalypse's expression remained impassive, his voice unfeeling. "As I thought, in this world, only oneself can be truly loyal."
With those words, he spread his arms, levitating gracefully.
Nick, observing this, raised his electromagnetic rifle, his one remaining eye fixed on Apocalypse.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Hearing this, Banner knew it was his cue.
"Hulk!"
With a roar, his body began to expand and turn green. His clothes ripped apart, though miraculously, his shorts remained intact.
Emil, upon seeing the Hulk's transformation, grew visibly eager to join. He let out a loud roar, his body turning a greyish-green, growing to match the Hulk's size.
"Second form!" Emil activated his second form without hesitation, his body now bristling with bone spikes and covered in a stony grey hue.
Tony flew above the group.
"Apocalypse, if you surrender now, we can still arrange for you to face trial."
Barton, from the back, didn't care for the banter and released an armor-piercing arrow.
"Hahaha… You insects think you can kill a god?"
Apocalypse let out a derisive laugh as an invisible wave of energy radiated from him. The arrow turned to ash before it even touched him. Natasha and Nick, undeterred, fired relentlessly.
But the bullets and arrows met the same fate, disintegrating before they reached him.
Tony quickly unleashed a repulsor blast from his palm, but even the pure energy was absorbed and neutralized.
Seeing his opponents' futile attacks, Apocalypse waved his hand dismissively.
"Now, it's my turn."
A golden beam of energy shot out from him.
"Hulk!"
Hulk leapt up, placing himself in front of Tony. But in the next instant, he was sent flying, chunks of his flesh seemingly evaporating on impact. Still, his incredible regeneration allowed him to recover quickly.
"Lorna, it's time to join the fight."
Erik, manipulating the magnetic field, rose into the air and gathered surrounding metals, shielding Tony from Apocalypse.
Lorna hesitated. Apocalypse hadn't treated her poorly, after all. But her sense of justice and inner kindness eventually prevailed, and she joined her father, using her powers to command more metal into the fray.
Explosions rang out across the battlefield.
In the midst of the intense battle, those who couldn't fly or didn't have ranged attacks found themselves awkwardly standing aside.
Even Sam, who could fly and had some range capability, looked around in discomfort.
Compared to Tony's repulsor beams, Erik and Lorna's metal storm, and Nick and Natasha's electromagnetic weapons, his regular firearms seemed laughably ineffective.
He squeezed off a few rounds before retreating to circle the periphery.
Nick dropped his empty electromagnetic rifle and picked up his communicator.
"Send in the Sentinels! And everyone, open fire!"
The surrounding S.H.I.E.L.D. agents responded, unleashing a barrage of attacks. But to Apocalypse, it was nothing, as his protective field absorbed every strike.
A moment later, Sentinels arrived on the scene, launching a hail of missiles at Apocalypse.
The noise was impressive, but the effect was just as fruitless as before.
Annoyed by the commotion, Apocalypse extended his hand, releasing a pulse of destructive energy that turned the Sentinels to dust.
On the ground below, Hulk and Emil watched the intense aerial battle, both growing impatient.
"Hulk, is there any way for us to get up there?"
Lorna overheard and, with a swift wave, brought over a large metal billboard to them.
"I'll take you up."
Without hesitation, Hulk and Emil leapt onto the makeshift platform. Under Lorna's control, they soared toward Apocalypse.
"HULK!"
"Here we come!"
Seeing the two massive figures approaching, Apocalypse calmly flicked his wrist.
The billboard turned to dust, sending both of them plummeting back down.
"Argh!"
Watching this, Nick realized he'd underestimated the situation. This was no mindless machine waiting to be struck.
Faced with an intelligent, airborne opponent like Apocalypse, even Hulk, Emil, Logan, and Erik struggled to close the gap, let alone engage him directly.
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